'Prey' Is the Next Movie in the 'Predator' Franchise — and It Has a Cool Twist

Like many great franchise revivals and reboots, Predator is the sci-fi horror gift that keeps on giving. The latest installment in the franchise, titled simply Prey, arrives on Hulu on Aug. 5, 2022.

The past few Predator films have mostly revolved around adult men defeating the intergalactic beast, but Prey presents a new vision for the franchise that fans will love. Is Prey a Predator sequel, prequel, or reboot? Here's what you need to know about the upcoming film.

During the production of Predator (2018), the fourth installment in the Predator franchise, director Dan Trachtenberg revealed on Twitter that he approached producer John Davis with an idea he had been conceptualizing since 2016. In December 2019, the film was still under wraps, but part of the plot had been revealed. The film would revolve around a Comanche woman who defies gender norms and expectations to hunt a mysterious creature.

In November 2020, production for the film officially started, and Deadline reported that the film would not follow the most recent events of the franchise, effectively ruling out the possibility of it being a sequel. A summary of the flick provided by Deadline officially confirmed that Prey will be a prequel to the Predator franchise.

The film's synopsis confirms the film is "set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago." The film's main character, Naru (Amber Midthunder), is "a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people."

The synopsis also notes, "The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries."

The main characters of Prey are all Comanche Nation members. People reports that a press release says the filmmakers "were committed to creating a film that provides an accurate portrayal of the Comanche and brings a level of authenticity that rings true to its Indigenous peoples." One of the film's producers, Jhane Myers, is Comanche, and the cast is "comprised almost entirely of Native and First Nation's talent."

Dan told ScreenRant he wanted the film's protagonist to be an "underdog," and added, "Who is a protagonist that we've never seen in movies before? That's when we realized we've never had a Native American or really an indigenous culture that has been at the lead of a big movie like this. The Comanche were the fiercest warriors of the time, and I think all indigenous cultures — but the Comanche even more so — have always been portrayed as the sidekick or the villain of a movie."

Producer Jhane Myers told Slash Film that for the first time, viewers at home will be able to watch Prey in English or if they so desire, entirely in Comanche with the original actors voicing their roles. She said, "But this is the first time for a brand new film to come out and have that option to hear it all in the whole language. So that not only inspires the young language speakers of my nation, but that inspires a lot of other people and shows them, and like I said, shows the world what our language is about. Which is thrilling for me."

Jhane and Dan hope that the result of what Prey is doing with the Comanche language will inspire other directors to shoot their films in a tribe's native language as well.

Prey will be available for streaming on Hulu on Aug. 5, 2022.